More Than Meets The Eye
by Avenging Neko
Summary: Seras Victoria, mute scribe of the Vampire King, has grown up among vampires, might as well be one herself, considering she is blood bound to Lord Draculae. He likes to be called Alucard, though, finds it amusing, and she obliges. Of course she does, she'd do anything for him after all.
1. Chapter 1

_**More Than Meets The Eye**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ ***shifty eyes*** What? Whaaat? To be fair, I've had this written for... Heh, apparently the same day as the Unicorn one. That amuses me. (August 2015) I actually have quite a bit written for this, because I want to flesh out the next chapter in particular with more details. ALL THE DETAILS!

JuJu might be surprised... I was originally going to wait until I'd fully finished this before ever posting it. But I've decided that takes too long and y'all like it when I post stuff. Even if most of said stuff is new stories and not updates for already posted things. (I've got a chapter I'm trying to finish for one of my other stories, actually, so I can update it. Gasp!)

tldr; I regret nothing and I hope you like this story as much as I liked rereading it.

* * *

 _1: As The Wheel Turns_

Seras Victoria was born mute.

Seras Victoria was born in the lower class.

In some people's eyes, Seras Victoria was born a slave.

At the age of three, when she could walk, her parents sent her to the Castle. Lord Draculae was a strange vampire – yes, a vampire, all in his lands knew, feared, and respected it. A lot of the lands were ruled by vampires, be it openly or not – with very strict rules in regards to lawbreakers and other ne'er-do-wells, even his own kind were prohibited from senseless slaughter of the people under his care. They repaid him with undying loyalty, taking care of his castle and other lordly needs. Because he was a vampire, he had means of communicating beyond simple speech, and he had an understanding with his subjects; those who could not work in the normal society, the deaf, the mute, and (rarely, because they needed more training) the blind. He kept only the pretty ones in public view, but work was still work, and work for the Lord of the lands meant more pennies for the table to earn bread and other essentials.

Seras so happened to be one of those pretty ones, a blue eyed blonde, practically innocence incarnate. She started her duties in the Castle as a kitchen maid, helping with washing the dishes in her little tub set on the floor to avoid dropping and breaking the flatware. When she was five, she graduated to messenger girl, carrying letters between the nobles dwelling within the keep.

When she was six… Well, that's when she could no longer go home again. It started as a normal day in the castle, taking Miss Lucinda's reply down the hall and up two floors to Lord Keryn, when she tripped on an uneven stone and stumbled into an unseen vampire, instinct causing her to reach out and catch herself on his coat tails.

He turned on her with a hiss and backhanded her to the floor where she promptly curled into a silent ball, this was not the first time one of the visiting nosferatu had beaten her for her clumsiness. She was just grateful he had not broken her jaw. She expected another hit, perhaps a kick, even braced herself for it, but it never came, instead there was an explosion of noise like snarling dogs fighting over a scrap of meat.

"She is a child! Have you no shame?" A familiar female voice shrieked, and Seras heard the sharp sound of flesh on flesh, perhaps Lady Aria had slapped the man she had apparently been conversing with before Seras' unintended interruption.

"It touched me, dared to grab my person as if it had any right!" The male retorted, she heard a crunching noise and a dull thud as the floor vibrated just off to her left. Peeking up from her fetal position, she saw Lady Aria, standing between her and the man, whose arm dangled limply at his side as he slowly got to his feet from where he had been tossed. "Human lover!" He spat, curling his lip, "the lot of you. This place disgusts me." With that he melted away into the floor, but not before shooting Seras a poisonous look with his pus yellow eyes.

' _ **Are you alright, little Sunflower?'**_ Lady Aria crooned into her mind, turning to face the child as she got to her feet and made sure the letter wasn't crumpled beyond repair. Seras gave the lovely lady vampire a gap toothed smile, _'I'm fine, Lady Aria!'_ She replied in a chipper mental tone, blue eyes alight with happiness to see the noble. Lady Aria was a permanent resident of the Castle, and had a soft spot for the children, doting on her favorites and playing the knight in shining skirts to defend them from unnecessary beatings. While it was true that no servant would be killed – justifiably, anyways – without due course, that did not mean life with vampires was easy. Vampires at their core are violent, pushing their dominance on others in the form of excessive punishments to any minor crime to 'keep the humans in their place'. That's not to say all of the Lords and Ladies and other such titles of repute followed this dogma, but no one would raise a brow at a servant being slapped for tardiness.

Holding the still sealed envelope up as an explanation, Seras hugged Lady Aria's arm before scampering off to finish her duties. She felt the vampiress's eyes on her back until she turned the corner, and her smile widened to show all five of the slots where her teeth used to be, new ones not yet grown in. The rest of the day passed without incident – she got to deliver a message to the King! It was very exciting! Also terrifying, having to walk through the crowd of Nobles during Court to creep around to the back and tiptoe up to the throne, waiting for his attention to hand him the letter. He had patted her head! She was over the moon as she practically skipped out of the Great Hall – and she finished her lunch right on time before tapping Cook on the shoulder as her usual sign of farewell. She'd be back tomorrow.

Sunlight the color of blood spilled over the little village at the foot of the castle, illuminating one blonde child's hair like fire as she skipped her way home with a loaf of day old bread for her parents – a gift from Cook – the expression on her face making it clear she'd be humming if her voice worked. The townspeople she passed gave her indulgent looks, and she beamed back at them. It was a generally understood rule that the humans should stay indoors at night, to avoid any unnecessary incidents. While the pure blooded vampires could stand the sunlight, they preferred to stay indoors during the day, and the ones in the castle dined upon donated blood from the 'useless' humans who couldn't work, to keep the vampires from going on killing sprees out of hunger - if not boredom - It was the lesser blooded ones, the rogues and ferals that preyed at night, roaming from township to township until caught and destroyed.

As if sensing something in the wind, Seras shivered and quickened her steps, reaching her home in record time, she flung the door open dramatically and launched herself into her father's arms. He laughed and caught her, spinning her around and lifting her up into the air as though she were flying, she laughed soundlessly, and spread her arms out to 'steer'. Her Mother chuckled quietly and walked over to the pair, grabbing the basket from her daughter before returning to the kitchen to fix the evening meal. It was a mutually understood fact that the humans would not work out of doors past an hour to sunset, so her parents were always home before she was. They lived on a sub lot of land from a noble in the Lord's court, and her parents – as well as many others – were in charge of the fields for their own produce and export to pay their monthly rent to the creature that needed none of it. There were human nobles, but they rarely sublet their property, preferring to build extravagant houses that took up the majority of their acreage. Seras didn't like them much, the children were snobs, and some of them had a penchant for throwing rocks. For dinner with her parents, Seras usually had an apple, or other seasonal fruit because she was fed by Cook before the end of every shift.

Really, it was a night like any other, perfectly normal and carefree as her father read to her from the book of fairytales passed down from his great, great grandfather. When the tale was done, she kissed his cheek and ran to her mother to do the same, their night time ritual as she climbed the ladder into the loft to their shared hay padded bed.

A knocking on the door was the first sign of the disruption in their daily pattern of life, and Seras blinked drowsily as she rolled over onto her stomach, crawling closer to the edge of the sleeping platform. The knocking crescendoed into pounding, and slamming, until the door literally burst from its hinges and sailed across the room to land in a splintered heap by the wood fire stove her mother cooked with.

Stunned silence filled the home, before her father shot to his feet, an expression torn between furious and fearful on his sunburned face, "What do you want?" He snapped, then faltered a moment, "My Lord." He added in a grudging tone, and Seras peered over the edge, but could see nothing yet.

"I've come to make an offer on your daughter." A familiar voice sneered, and the hair on the back of Seras' neck stood on end as she ducked away from view, it was the visiting noble at the Castle, the one that Lady Aria had slapped for her. She had a terrible feeling about this.

Her mother inhaled sharply, and she knew from experience that the lovely brunette was seconds away from a shouting match, when her father shushed her, a grim tone in his voice. "An offer, Sir?"

"Indeed, you filthy pigs should feel privileged. I offer you five gold coins for the girl." The nosferatu's voice was nasal and grating as he stood somewhere below her, and a shiver rolled down her spine. She didn't like him one bit.

"Five gold?!" Her mother shouted, before she was hushed again, "You must be joking. She earns twice that a year, not including bonuses." Her father sounded insulted.

"Such a pity, it seems negotiations have failed. I did try to do this the civil way." The vampire spat the words, then laughed cruelly, "You have only yourselves to blame, mortal filth."

"Wha-?" Her dad protested with an angry shout before it was cut off by the hand around his throat. Seras' eyes widened so much she thought they might pop out of her head as she watched from the edge of the loft. "Where is your daughter?" The noble asked calmly, as though he weren't about to asphyxiate the human in his iron grasp.

"You can't have her!" Her mom screamed and threw the heavy frying pan at the vampire, who caught it easily. She saw him look at her mother, and he snarled something too softly for Seras to hear, but she **did** hear the sickening wet crunch of her father's neck snapping. _Daddy, no!_

Launching herself off of the platform with a silent shriek, she collided with the noble's head and shoulders, pummeling him with her tiny fists with tears running down her cheeks. He dropped the limp form of her father onto the ground – he crumpled like a rag doll, head held at an unnatural angle, face frozen in horror – and flung her into the wall. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream that reverberated through the perceptive minds of the ruling monsters. The noble hissed at her, baring his long teeth in a snarl, "Shut up you useless bitch!"

He grabbed her by the leg and shook her upside-down, tightening his grip until the bone splintered. She went completely red in the face and flailed weakly, the pain changing the pitch of her psychic scream to resemble nails on a chalk board.

"Let my daughter go, you bastard!" Her mom yelled and charged the vampire with the butcher knife. He sneered and flung Seras back into the wall – her arm snapped – to turn and deal with the interfering mortal, roaring in outrage as the stainless steel blade sunk into his chest. "You stupid human whore! I'll teach you to mess with me." His voice dropped an octave and his fangs elongated past his lower lip, black claws bursting from his fingertips as he advanced slowly on the woman who, for her part, was trying to get another knife from the counter. Seras watched, in a crumpled heap against the wall, sobbing soundlessly and chanting _'Mummy!'_ with wide horrified eyes as the human hating vampire stepped over her daddy's corpse and pulled the knife from his chest, only to bring it down blindingly fast, splitting the human's abdomen open. Seras' mind went blank with shock and for a brief moment her screams went quiet. The vampire laughed and tossed the knife carelessly over his shoulder, it landed crimson blade down two feet from Seras as he bent over the screaming shape of the little girl's mom.

All she could hear was the terrible inhuman shriek, and all she could see was the trickle of blood down the shining steel. Her mind snapped into action and she couldn't help the banshee howl resonating through her skull as she forced herself to move with her good arm and leg, reaching desperately for the knife. She'd show him! Even if it cost her life, she'd get him back for hurting her mommy and daddy!

The instant her trembling hand grasped the handle of the blade, darkness oozed into the simple home through the smashed front door, blowing in like some foul wind and ensnaring the occupants inside. Seras felt her mind freeze up for the second time, and it took every ounce of will she had to turn her head away from the back of the vampire, and into the face of another. Recognition dawned in her eyes as she stared, awed, at the menacing form of the No Life King. He stood there, framed by the light of the crimson moon, with his cape billowing and dancing like black flames, obscuring what she thought might have been the outfit he'd worn earlier that day of loose black velvet pants and a half buttoned shirt so deeply red it looked black as well. Despite the darkness within the house, she could see the stern expression on his face that made her want to cower at his feet, and his eyes glowed like hellfire as he strode into the room, the flickering light of the lamps within brought stark relief to the crimson smears on the walls and floor.

Seras inched back instinctively, still clutching the knife in her good hand, and was almost thankful she could not speak, for she knew she'd be whimpering and possibly draw his attentions on her. It wasn't exactly that she thought he'd kill her, she mused, looking back on the day, but … no one wants to be caught between two angry vampires.

The murderous bastard turned when he sensed Lord Draculae enter the home, and Seras cringed to see the noble coated head to toe in her mother's blood. His putrid yellow eyes were glowing with madness as he snarled at the more powerful male, "Pathetic! Human lover! You'd turn on your own for the sake of these mortals?" He kicked the eviscerated corpse of Seras' mother and the little girl sobbed mutely, closing her eyes and turning her head away.

"You call me pathetic?" The lyrical baritones of the ruling Lord poured into Seras' ears like poisoned honey, "When you slaughter a family for some perceived slight. You disgust me." He sneered and Seras peeked at him through half open lids to see him draw his sword, and she could hear it, too, in the deathly silence surrounding them. "It's filth like you that would drain the world dry without a care of what tomorrow would bring. You dare refer to yourself as a noble? No one is above the reach of my laws."

The coward that he was, the lesser vampire tried to step back through the walls, and she knew he would have melted into them if he could, but they were still coated in Lord Draculae's darkness, and before he could even scream he was beheaded. Seras watched it roll with numb fascination. It stopped by her side, and with a quick vengeful motion, stabbed the knife into the mustard yellow iris of the monster that killed her family.

A deep chuckle surrounded her and she heard his heavy boot steps thud upon the wooden floor as the Lord approached. "Such a feisty little thing," he purred, looming over her. His nostrils flared, and his lips twitched, "Ah, so it is you, little servant." He knelt down to be level with her, crimson eyes taking in the unnatural angles of her left arm and right leg, and noticed something that she hadn't while caught up in the adrenaline high; at least three of her ribs were broken. "Hm," he hummed, taking a second lingering look at the rather pitiable sight of the blonde child at his feet. "Not life threatening, but they would never heal properly." He murmured, as if to himself, and he lifted one gloved hand up to her chin – she managed not to flinch – to tilt her face up further for his inspection.

' _My Lord?_ '

He smiled then, a truly terrible sight, but she found she wasn't afraid, and leaned into the coolness of his touch. "Indeed. Come, child, you shall live in the castle and learn your letters. I find I am in need of a new scribe that will not back talk during meetings." He laughed, and the light of the moon shone white on his fangs.

' _Yes, my Lord.'_ Seras chanted obediently, but her eyes turned sadly back towards the crumpled bodies of what used to be her parents. A tear trickled down her cheek.

"They will be buried." He spoke, and she smiled tremulously before the night's events finally caught up with her and she passed out cold. Little girls weren't meant to break an arm, a leg, and a few ribs all in the span of five minutes and remain conscious afterward.

The No Life King chuckled indulgently as he petted the little blonde's head. He was amused by her spirit, she had refused to give up despite the odds, and he liked that about her. Perhaps…

A ghoulish expression curled his lips and he laughed as he pulled the little girl into his chest, standing with a flourish of his cape. Yes, perhaps he would.

When he arrived back at his castle he sent a contingent of guards to deal with the aftermath; bury the humans and stake the treacherous glutton's body out for the sun to devour. It was by no means normal for him to take matters into his own hands so directly, but the psychic screaming had caught his attention, and he was bored. The humans could squabble over who got the house, he cared little for such trifles unless brought to his attention during court days.

He phased into an empty set of servants quarters and set the child's limp body down on the bed, aligning her bones properly with the ease of a master surgeon. "I hope you continue to entertain me, little Seras." He laughed as he removed his glove and cut his palm, pouring his blood past her slightly parted lips and watching with satisfaction as she swallowed it. Only a small amount, enough to bind her to him and heal her mortal injuries, he did not wish to cease her aging yet. No, that would come later. When she had curves he could admire to his undead heart's content.

Oh the rumors that would spread! He would enjoy each and every one of them, and ruthlessly smother them with a twist of his boot heels. The next few months would be glorious entertainment in the dull matters of vampire court.


	2. Chapter 2

_**More Than Meets The Eye**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ Yanno what? I seem to have a terrible habit of ending chapters with Seras either passing out or falling asleep or... well. What can I say? It's apparently my thing. I'll try to break myself of it at some point, but, haha, we'll see if it actually happens. I guess it's the drama llama in me that's to blame? Sure, let's go with that.

I hope this chapter isn't confusing. I'm rereading this at seven in the morning, been up all night because I'm an idiot. As far as my sleepy brain can tell the timeline taking place in this one makes sense, but I wrote it, so I might be biased.

* * *

 _2: The World Falls Down_

 _Blood, and screaming. The endless, soul rending,_ _ **screaming**_ _._

Seras Victoria woke with a start, and nearly head butted her Master in the chin, body stiff and muscles locked before his hand on her head brought her back to the here and now and she relaxed. As she relaxed she realized how bloody _tired_ she still was, and she yawned, slumping back against the intimidating figure of Lord Draculae, whom she was told to call Alucard (or Master), and after a moment she slithered back down into the nest of pillows at his feet, cheek pillowed on his thigh as he petted her. She tugged absently at her skirts to cover her legs as she leaned into the touch. She couldn't have been asleep for more than a few minutes, surely? But it was par for the course to fall asleep with her head on his knee as she drowsed, only to wake up curled in his lap like a doll.

She reflected sleepily on the events that led her to this; a girl on the cusp of her teens being allowed – more like forced – to use the Lord of the lands as a(n un)living pillow when he wasn't busy, or even sometimes when he was. He seemed to enjoy flaunting her in others' faces, much to the chagrin of his courtiers.

* * *

The first night she woke after the _incident_ , she found herself cuddled into a concerned Lady Aria's skirted lap as the vampires sat on the girl's bed and petted her hair. "Oh you poor thing," she cooed, "so much to go through in one night. Well, you're safe here." She smiled, and her fangs gleamed in the dim candlelight of the room, but Seras was not afraid. "My little Sunflower. I'll be your teacher in reading, writing, and all those other scholarly and lady like things." She tittered behind her hand politely before combing the fingers of her free hand once more through the unruly blonde locks.

"Such a pretty child," Aria murmured, and Seras thought perhaps she was not meant to hear that, and did not comment upon it.

' _What happened? I don't… I remember that my parents are gone.'_ Seras sounded devastated and the vampiress gave a dramatic cry as she scooped the six year old up into her arms, practically suffocating the girl in her cleavage. "Shh, shh, it's alright." Aria soothed, humming a lullaby like tune as she stroked the girl's back. Seras gave a shuddering sigh and leaned into the embrace trustingly. _'There was… something about Lord Draculae?'_ Seras questioned, sounding unsure of herself.

"Yes, yes! Our Lord has been quite generous, little Sunflower. Not only did he avenge your family, but he took you in! You are our Lord's newest blood bond, did you know?" At Seras' bewildered look, she laughed gently and explained, "Well, little Sunflower, it's like being his servant, but he doesn't need to pay you, and you don't need to listen to anyone else's orders. I admit it's more complicated than that, but I'll tell you more as you get older."

Seras' head felt like it was spinning already, so she nodded solemnly and cuddled into the cold but welcoming body. _'I remember that my leg was broken. How is it healed already?'_

"Ah, little Sunflower, that is simply one of the perks of being our Lord's new little pet." Aria murmured, sounding almost envious.

Seras didn't quite get it, but she knew vampires healed fast, so maybe being bonded to the Lord meant that she could heal, too? She didn't especially want to find out first hand.

Aria's laughter was addictive, and she petted the girl's hair down to her shoulders, "No, I imagine you don't, but yes, it's something like that, dear." She cooed, answering the child's thoughts.

The next three months were spent in semi isolation as Seras was lulled into trance like states to trick her mind into coping with the abrupt loss of both parents. These trances were also useful for absorbing new information like reading and writing, and she learned quickly. She didn't see much of the Lord, because he was a ruler of the land and had duties to fulfill, but she kept up hope that he would come see her soon.

After her little reintegration, the mute child took up her messenger work again, and was always delighted to deliver notes to the throne room, or the gathering hall. She'd made it a point to never dilly dally so as not to earn a cuff or a beating from the visiting nobles, and she could tell from the badly disguised looks on their faces that they knew whom she belonged to. She felt… oddly proud about that, and would always deliver her messages with a gap-toothed smile.

When she was ten, and already beginning the horrors of puberty and wearing more advanced, _Lady like_ , clothing, she was assigned as her Lord's personal scribe – it was no longer appropriate for her to run rampant through the halls like a little urchin girl delivering her letters - and her first time sitting in on a meeting was quite the adventure.

" _What is_ she _doing here?" One lord asked in a not-very-quiet voice to the lady next to him at the large table as Seras tucked herself into the corner of the room, her board and writing utensils hidden by her skirts. "Quiet, you fool, don't you know she's_ _his_ _property?" The lady answered, sounding scandalized as she looked furtively at the blonde girl and then the doors, as if half expecting the lord of the castle to appear right at that moment. He was running a bit late, but had told Seras to go ahead and meet him there. Like any good servant, she obeyed._

" _Hoy, little missy, wot's your name?" A behemoth of a man asked as he towered over the small child, who looked up at him with wide blue eyes, startled._ 'It's Seras, Sir.'

 _The man frowned after a moment, tapping his foot and crossing his arms over his chest, "Speak up, speak up! Haven't got all day, have I?"_

 _Seras' face twisted in confusion, and she concentrated harder on broadcasting her thoughts to the visiting noble, Lady Aria's advice on mouthing along with her projected thoughts forgotten in her startlement._ 'I said, Sir, that my name is Seras, Sir.'

" _Don't give me that look! Like I should know a simple servant's name, pah! Insolence. I dislike insolence," the man was growling now, his jovial air vanished to be replaced by glaring eyes and bared teeth. Seras' heart skipped a beat as she realized she was backed into a corner with no where to go. Her lower lip trembled a moment as she cast pleading eyes onto the residents present in the hall. Pitiless eyes met hers, before turning away, viciously amused smirks on their perfectly sculpted faces._

" _That's it! Disrespectful little trollop, I'll show you what it means to be so-" his arm was raised, hand clenched in a fist, and the girl threw her arms up to cover her face as she silently screamed;_ 'Master!'

 _The room went deathly silent as the doors flew open and Alucard appeared, eyeing the scene with disapproval, "Picking on defenseless children? Perhaps next time I should arrange some_ entertainment _in our meetings to keep you lot from becoming bored." His tone was bland, as though commenting on the weather, but the long term residents of the castle shifted uneasily in their seats._

 _Seeing the man was halted mid blow, she abandoned her papers and scurried over to hide behind her Lord's legs, little fists clenching in the material of his pants as she trembled. It'd been years since she'd been struck by a noble, and had lost her nerve. A warm hand settled atop her hair, and she relaxed instantly, tilting her head back to gaze up at her Master with her perfectly innocent smile – no longer missing any teeth – and wide, trusting, blue eyes. "The child is mute, Brutus, and it is a pity that you seem to lack the mental prowess to understand her." His tone was neutral, but his words were condescending, and the other Lords and Ladies tittered behind their hands. "Now, if there are no further interruptions?"_

 _Silence._

" _Good, then let this meeting commence." He nudged Seras on the shoulder, and she nodded obediently as she fetched her writing things and, rather than staying in the corner, sat at her Master's feet to record the goings on._

 _Lord Brutus had acquired a rather cheesy complexion as he took his seat and refused to look her way for the remainder of the gathering._

 _No one bothered raising a fuss a second time, or the time after that, and visitors were warned off of troubling the scribe, for fear of angering the No Life King._

* * *

The soon-to-be-thirteen year old cracked an eye open to observe the members of her Lord's court, and raised a hand to cover her yawn as she drowsily counted them, adding names to faces as she did so; there was Miss Lucinda making eyes at Lord Keryn while Lady Aria pretended not to notice her companion's distraction from their conversation. _For all the lessons she's taught me, I still don't understand the rubbish pile of romantic politics._ She hadn't meant to think so loudly, but the rumble of her Master's amusement vibrated through her mind as well as her bones as he chuckled. "Quite right, Little Chick," he ruffled her blonde feathery locks as he watched his subjects. She made a face as she reached a hand up to smooth down her spiky blonde mane – she was growing it out now, and it absolutely _refused_ to stay down or out of her face.

"My Lord," twin voices spoke in unison, and Seras shifted onto her knees, sitting up more properly in the nest of pillows, and no longer using his lap as her head rest. It was Lord Mire and his twin sister Lady Mira, long time supporters of her Lord and Master, Alucard. Bowing her head, she graced the pair with a smile before sliding off of her pillows to stand, _'I'll be in the library, my Lord.'_

He nodded and waved his hand negligently at her as he spoke with his fellow nosferatu.

She had no love for listening in on boring politics, it was already her job during meetings. She'd prefer to spend her free time with other occupations. Thankfully she was not required to attend the Court days, her Lord had his record keepers for that. Oh, she'd fallen asleep at his feet before a Court day a number of times, only to wake up to the droning voices of supplicants. She rarely slept in her own bed, because he liked having her around. Sometimes even as a snack. Nothing quite like blood loss to have her sleeping like a babe, she thought with a wry smile on her pretty face.

Seras made her way easily towards the vast room of enchanting tomes, lanky limbs made graceful from her dance lessons – to keep her limber, Lady Aria defended, but Seras was quite certain at least half of it was to torture her – fighting the urge to yawn and stretching only when she was sure nobody was looking. It was one thing to act so relaxed in her Lord's presence, but quite another to do so out in the halls. She'd rather not be confronted for her callously casual air, as if she owned the place or something ludicrous along those lines. She hesitated a split second, weighing her options of what entrance to take into her favorite room of the castle, and erred on the side of caution as she detoured towards the servant's door. While she was the Lord's property, she was still human, and a servant, it wouldn't do to insult a resident or visiting Midian by deeming herself worthy of the main door while unescorted. Besides, the book she wanted to read was only two rows down from the back entry.

Slipping in silent as the grave – another advantage to her dance lessons – the blonde young lady drifted to her right and clambered carefully up on the ladder to fetch the little red book with gold lettering on its cover. Prize in hand, she practically skipped to the nearest mini lounge between the rows of bound paper, settling herself quite comfortably into a well worn armchair.

Any vampire listening would simply hear a soothing monotone hum from the mute girl's mind as she devoured the words on the pages like a starving man at a feast. _'But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and given her certain powers…'_

Seras lost herself in the fantasy world of goblins, magic, and mazes, and bit her thumb as she reached a particularly exciting passage. Unfortunately, as the blonde's luck would have it, at that particular moment one of the touchier residents of the castle was passing by her location and saw the flicker of movement as the child bit her thumb. Outraged beyond words, not even stopping to consider that the chattel would be reading, the brunette stormed over to the girl and briskly slapped her _hard_ across the face. "Did you just bite your thumb at me, you wretch?!"

Seras' little red book went sailing off her lap as she was thrown to the floor by the force of the blow against her skull. Her jaw cracked and she gasped, face going pasty white as the pain vibrated through her bones. The woman's words did not fully register to her dazed mind, and her continued silence was only another nail in her coffin. The Lady Bernadette screamed in outrage and kicked the little rag of a girl in the ribs, enjoying the sickening symphony of cracking bones and convulsive gasps for shattered breath. At that moment it mattered little that the human belonged to the king. All that mattered was the perceived insult the girl had offered her in passing.

Seras rolled helplessly until she collided with the bookcase opposite the armchair she had occupied only moments prior. Head swimming, mental voice shocked as mute as her physical one, she tried to steady herself as she pressed her palms flat against the smooth wood of the library floor and lifted her slightly unfocused gaze. That was a mistake.

It had been so many years since she had been on the receiving end of one of the nobles' tantrums that she had forgotten one of the main rules; never try to look up, or worse, meet their gaze. A slippered foot found her chin, and she was quite frankly amazed her neck didn't snap on contact as she was thrown up into the air and crumpled in a heap on the decorative rug in the center of the reading alcove. Blows rained down on her in an agonizing duet with the dulcet tones of the Lady's insults. Seras went numb not long after she acquired a new case of rug burn, and just lay there like a stringless marionette. When she began to cough up blood, she felt a change in the background static of her mind as her Master cued in on her increasing distress, despite her silence. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her, perhaps shock had settled in, ut she found she couldn't think, let alone call for help or try to apologize.

Not a minute later, the main doors of the library were thrown open as the Lord and a number of his regular consorts filed into the spacious room. The Lady paused in her assault momentarily and that was all it took for Lord Draculae to appear at the end of the corridor, raven brows arched in disapproval. The slighted vampire gave one last vicious kick to the girl's abdomen, possibly trying to rupture something internally, before she nodded coolly to the Master of the castle and affected a calm façade, moving back through the shelves to join his females in casual conversation.

"Seras."

A little hazy around the edges, the servant girl's hand twitched as she answered him internally. _'My Master.'_

"Can you stand?"

' _I can't feel my legs at the moment, my Lord. I think she may have paralyzed me.'_ Seras sounded unnaturally calm as she thought-spoke this, _'I'm afraid I may have to take the night off.'_

Alucard chuckled darkly as he knelt and swept a stray strand of blonde hair from his chattel's face, taking in her black and blue appearance with a grain of salt. "You'll be fine in the morning," he agreed amicably enough, "I'll have someone come get you in a moment."

' _Thanks, Master.'_

In answer, he ruffled her hair affectionately and stood, turning away from the limp form of his servant. She'd had worse. He'd personally delivered harsher beatings for lesser slights. It was different when he did it, though. She knew what to expect from him. He was also the King, so of course he had the right to beat manners into her, or treat her like his personal lap dog. Everything was different with him compared to the other vampires; visitors or residents.

The advantage of the girl's healing was that he had more freedom when it came to meting out punishments. A good night's rest and a large breakfast when she awoke would fix her right up.

Her head was pounding, and she couldn't catch a full breath as she waited shivering on the floor for what felt like an hour before one of the other servants arrived. She couldn't see his face to name him, and it slipped her fuzzy mind at the moment anyways, but she recognized his voice as he tsk'd and gathered her up carefully, trying not to jostle her broken bones. "Poor little miss," he tutted, "Lady Aria will have a fit when she hears about this." Seras agreed muzzily, unable to talk freely with her fellow servants the way she did their undead masters, but Lady Aria had schooled her in lip synching her words carefully so that the others could at least get the gist of what she meant if she needed something.

Being the Lord's favorite, she didn't have much occasion to linger in the servants quarters, but they all got along well enough. None of them held a grudge against her at least, or not that she knew, and it was becoming increasingly hard to think as she swayed from side to side in time with her carrier's footsteps.

Sleep sounded wonderful, especially her nice warm bed…


	3. Chapter 3

_**More Than Meets The Eye**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ Well, I have good news and bad news. Good news? This is a nice chapter. Bad news? Next chapter is all she wrote, and not even finished. So I'll do my best to finish the next one, but as y'all know and are used to at this point, no matter how grudgingly, I make no promises when the next update will happen. I do quite like this one though, so maybe the muse will shine on us all.  
You win the internet if you catch the reference in Seras' dream. It's a bit vague... but I'm sure JuJu will get it. Maybe. She should, anyways.

 _3: Scattered Reflection_

Seras yawned sleepily behind her hand as the sunlight filtered into her room of the servant's wing, she had slept for nearly twelve hours, plus that nap that had been interrupted during the twilight gathering. Because her Lord was so powerful, he rarely slept, using the daylight hours to get the more trivial matters finished, such as overseeing land expansion and hearing mortal disputes. Not that humans were the only daylight creatures in his vast territory, but in the Lord's city, they were the only ones who lived in such close proximity. The blood bond servant of the No Life King stumbled out of bed on still wobbly legs, skin mottled with fading bruises, and made her way to the servant's bath. Fortunately her friend Becca was already there, and the kind brunette graced the blonde with a caring smile as she helped Seras undress and slip into the sunken tub. Vampires had acute senses of smell, and demanded their servants take daily baths with specially made soaps that neutralize their "natural stench", but Seras did not mind in the least as she luxuriated in the warm water loosening up her tense muscles, making happy little exhales, head lolling back against the rim, her eyelids sliding shut.

There was silence in the room before long fingers slid into her damp hair and scratched at her scalp. She exhaled louder, the half-sound reminiscent of a coo of approval, lifting her arm obediently as she felt a plucking at her wrist. It wasn't until she was bent over her knees to bare her back to the tickling of the soapy cloth that she realized something was a little… off. There was a chill breath fluttering across the back of her neck, and she lifted her head a bit, nose working to gather the scents of the steamy room. The sharp tang of copper met her questing senses and she tensed as the male behind her chuckled darkly and pulled her naked form against the edge of the tub to rest his face in the crook of her neck. "Took you long enough to notice, Little Chick." She squirmed uncomfortably, cheeks flaming. She admitted to herself that it had been odd to have who she had assumed to be Becca helping with her bath, but she had been so comfortable in the water, and drowsy that she'd ignored it. Ir was her own fault for keeping her eyes shut. She felt his lips curving against her throat as the cloth slid to her front and she squeaked mentally. _'Master...'_

"Hush."

She felt the note of _Command_ in his voice and stilled meekly as his fingers explored her body, the wet cloth a flimsy barrier. She shivered and couldn't help but to whimper in her head as a heat tickled her insides. He chuckled darkly and yanked her left leg up out of the water to scrub the flesh there as well. Seras winced a bit as her still tender muscles protested the awkward movement. She could clearly make out the dark purple bruise over her kneecap, and dimly recalled the fact that it had been shattered at some point during the Lady's fit of temper.

"And did you learn anything?" Alucard hummed curiously, he seemed not to know what had instigated the assault on his servant. Seras shrugged uncomfortably, one shouldered as she accidentally pressed his chin deeper into her throat, _'To keep track of my surroundings?'_

It was a wild guess, in all honesty, the others considered her a bit spoiled – pampered, really – that she had the Lord's protection as an ever looming shadow, she was "cocky" some said, others thought her careless when they assumed she couldn't hear. Perhaps they were right.

His teeth dug lightly at the flesh of her neck and she trembled, shivers rolling down her spine. "Perhaps," he agreed, and to which part she was a little unsure. He hoisted her other leg from the water and repeated the cleansing gesture before pulling her nubile form up out of the water and onto his – thankfully clothed – lap to examine her more freely. She flushed and fought the urge to cross her arms over her developing chest, blue eyes averted bashfully. She noted idly, during her inspection of the room to look anywhere but at her Master, that the door leading to the hall was firmly shut, and she was sure locked.

"Your birthday is in a week, Little Chick," her Lord announced out of the blue, and the petite blonde – she was _tiny_ in his lap – looked him in the face for the first time to see a mysterious smile on his perfectly pale face. _'Yes…'_

"Are you excited?"

' _Should I be?'_ She hedged, uncertainty lighting her sky colored orbs.

His pointed teeth leered at her as he chuckled lowly, seeming obscenely pleased with himself, "How would you like to come on a little trip with me? A celebration of sorts."

Excitement and wariness warred within her, and she grinned hesitantly at him, _'like an adventure, Master?'_

His hand settled atop her head and he hummed smugly as he rumpled her damp locks, "Perhaps. I need to visit my allies in the north soon regardless. How would you like to see the world, Little Chick, as your first act of becoming a woman?"

He enunciated the last word by raking his gaze down her sinewy form and she flushed, crossing her arms over her budding breasts, wishing desperately for a towel to cover herself with. Ducking her chin, she nodded meekly and mind-whispered her assent as his large hands settled on her shoulders.

"But first," he crooned, a familiar note in his deep voice, "I find myself a bit puckish, Little Chick."

Seras peeked up at him from under her lashes and flushed brighter still as he met her shy glance with a baring of his sharp teeth.

Contrary to the stories spread about, at least in Lord Draculae's case, a bite did not guarantee a change; it was the draining of all blood that created ghouls (which younger vampires had low impulse control to stop in time), and a requirement of the vampire donating a sample of their own to their victim to instigate the irreversible process. Seras would never openly admit it, but some of her most treasured time with her Master was when he was hungry. The way he made her feel…

She shivered and scooted closer to him, pressing her chest against his shirt to hide herself from view even as she craned her head to the side openly. The bare skin of her Master's hands running across her equally naked back made her shiver more and arch even as he enfolded her in a secure hold and nuzzled along her pulse point. "Good girl."

The innocent creature knew that her time as a mortal was limited, had learned that the moment her first halting steps into puberty began, her Master wanted her nice and pretty, just in her prime, before he would finish what he had started nearly seven years ago. Surprisingly, she had no qualms with her future-to-be.

All rational thought ground to a screeching halt as the tips of his blood teeth pricked her skin, and her breath caught in her throat as he dug deeper, teasing her. She whined lowly, the sound seeming to echo in her mind, and wiggled, trying to impale herself on those sharp sabers. He chuckled mockingly and obliged the impatient whelp, left hand splaying steadyingly across the back of her neck as he bent his head further and clamped down _hard_ on her succulent flesh.

Her body tensed as her mouth opened in a silent scream that reverberated in her skull, the bastard child of pain and pleasure. _God!_

Fire raced through her veins and her arms wrapped around his chest, tightening convulsively as he sucked down her crimson life force languidly. Her mind was a riot of guilty pleasure as the heat consumed her from within, leaving her panting and wanting for more. _'Please…'_

' _ **Please what, my Little Chick?'**_

' _More.'_

Just then, a tentative knock came at the door, and the spell was broken, but Seras made no move to pull herself from the drugging effects of her Master's sharp kiss. He sighed against her skin, exhaling through his nose before crushing her to his body as he lapped at her neck, halting the flow of blood and leaving two clear marks from his fangs behind for all the world to see.

"We'll continue this later, pet."

He had duties to attend to, after all. A King's work was never done.

' _Of course, my Master.'_ Seras could not help the note of longing in her voice as he stood, bringing her with him, clinging weakly to his much larger form, the blood loss making her unsteady on her feet. He graciously draped one of the large towels over her shoulders as he set her on the bench against the wall and melted through the floor, the door opening a moment later to reveal a sheepish looking Becca. "Sorry, Seras, but Lady Aria said it was important."

The blonde offered her brunette companion a crooked smile as she rubbed the terrycloth over her flushed skin. She could not communicate with her human friend the way she could with the vampires, but they had their own mutual understanding. (It helped they both knew how to read and write!) Especially when it came to how nice it felt to be fed on. Becca was Lady Aria's own blood bond of sorts, it was a bit complicated, but Seras knew it was essentially the same for the girl as it was between herself and the No Life King. So the little blonde wiggled back into her dress with a bit of help from the elder girl, and tugged her along to the kitchens for breakfast. She was starving.

"Lady Aria has Miss Isolde writing letters, by the way." Becca informed and Seras' shoulders shook with mute mirth. Lady Aria had her ways of getting back at the nobles for abusing the castle staff; writing letters was just one of the ways to humiliate the female offenders.

Lady Aria was one of the highest ranking residents, seniority giving her an even higher leg up to boss around the others, such as making them play scribe for her dictations of long winded letters to distant aquaintances. Sometimes she even had them play servant at her gatherings; pouring the blood tea in cups and passing them out, forcing them to act cordial and happy to serve to save face. Seras had an idea that Miss Isolde would be suffering under Lady Aria's wing for a long time to come.

* * *

Five days later, at the crack of dawn, there was a growing hubbub at the castle gates as a large onyx carriage drawn by majestic ebony horses waited for its occupants, the luggage trunks already secured to the rack.

"But my Lord, traveling alone..!"

"Do you imply I am incapable of such a feat?" Lord Draculae's tone was mild, even amused, but the steward blanched and stumbled over his words, "I-ah-… no, that is…"

"What of the treaties?"

"No announcement…"

"Declare war."

"What of the girl?"

"All alone with the young thing…"

"No chaperone."

"Scandalous."

"Just a servant…"

"Lowering himself-"

"Quiet, all of you!" The No Life King snarled, "Your heckling has ceased to amuse me."

The crowd fell silent, watching their monarch warily even as the aforementioned girl slipped through the ranks, clad in a simple blue traveling gown, blonde locks brushed to gleaming gold. The mute human woman-child smiled demurely up at her Master and curtseyed, skirts billowing gracefully before she took her place five steps behind him and slightly to his right, her petite frame easily obscured by his towering form and his penchant for capes.

"Now then," the vampire growled, arms crossing over his chest, "I am leaving, if there is anything of dire importance, you know how to reach me. Unless such matter arises, keep yourselves out of trouble until I return and continue with your normal duties. You are dismissed."

The pale faces in the crowd glanced at eachother and muttered before nodding and dispersing. Vlad Teppes opened the carriage door and scooted his little blonde servant in before joining her and rapping his knuckles on the inside front of the spacious room. There was a crack and the horses started off in a gentle trot. Seras, sitting opposite her Master on the plush seating, craned her head to the side to peer out the little window beyond the closed curtain. Alucard watched her for a moment before settling himself comfortably, legs sprawled out gracelessly in the footwell, and resting his chin on his chest to doze until needed. It wasn't often that he took these trips, he liked to take advantage of the freedom from interruptions to nap as long as he wished.

* * *

The sun was setting when the vampire king roused himself, cracking an eye open to observe his little servant nibbling at a loaf of stuffed bread, he could smell the meats and cheeses from where he sprawled opposite her, and he raised his hand to rap his knuckles sharply on the interior wall. The carriage, keeping a steady pace meant to be bearable on the well bred steeds for long hours at a time, slowed and pulled to the side after a moment, and Alucard could smell the crisp fragrance of crushed grass. Seras moved as if she would throw open the door and jump outside, but froze and canted her head to the side, peering at him from the corner of her eye. He graced her with a toothy smirk as he rolled to his feet and opened the door himself, letting the diffuse crimson light filter into the black velvet upholstered interior. The blue clad blonde stuck out like a sore thumb against the dreary atmosphere, and he bowed his head mockingly as he gestured grandly to the outside world. Seras beamed, excited as she hopped outside on bare feet and leapt into a cartwheel, her skirts flying as she frolicked, stretching her stiff muscles. He could hear her childlike laughter resonating in his head as he stepped down into the grass and leaned against the carriage to glance up at his driver, who was swiftly dismounting to untether the horses and allow them to rest. The boy was a dhampire, actually, and was considered an outcast among both sides of his family, so, like any half breed abomination under the No Life King's employ, he worked with the animals. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying went. There were a few reasons for his choosing the dhampire to be his driver, but one of them was the simple fact that the boy would be able to hear Seras should his little blood bond get herself into trouble while the King was busy.

Gliding over towards the nearest tree in the clearing, he perched himself easily on the low hanging branch to recline and observe his servants.

 _-linebreak-linebreak-_

Seras tumbled into the tall grass, laughing soundlessly and reveling in the fresh air of the glade. Her sharp ears caught the tell tale sound of trickling water and she hoisted herself to her feet to skip gaily over to the stream, kneeling and cupping her hands together she brought the palmful of liquid to her lips and sipped. This was great! She felt more like a princess on a grand journey than a servant girl following her liege. There was a tickle of condescending amusement across the back of her thoughts as her Master read this in her head. Shrugging the feeling off, knowing she was being ridiculous without him needing to say so, the blonde spotted a fallen log leading across the water and glanced furtively from side to side before testing her weight on the springy wood; it held. Sighing with relief, she danced nimbly across the makeshift bridge to secret herself on the other side of the trees to relieve herself. Being cooped up in a carriage all day was rather taxing on the bladder!

As the blonde stood, business done, she heard a twig snap. Instinct screamed at her and she threw her arms up just in time to avoid the teeth that would have torn out her throat. Hitting the forest floor with a loud _thud_ , Seras stared wide eyed up into the glazed and enraged eyes of a snarling wolf, foam dripping from its jowls. Her arm was caught in its jaws, but the wooden bracelet she wore over her wrist protected her from the piercing fangs. Blue met tarnished gold in a timeless stare down before she reacted; bracing her shoulders against the root digging into her spine, she flung her legs up hard into the beast's chest. It yelped, releasing her, and she took her chance to dive for the river, a shrill psychic scream alerting her vampire companions that she was in danger. Miss Aria had taught her basic self defense with her dance lessons, but she didn't stand a chance against a wolf.

"MISS SERAS!" The driver, Kristoff, shouted as she came into view around the trees, and she could faintly make out the red shape of her Master dismounting from his tree perch. Hot pain seared the back of her leg and she fell in a flurry of shredded cloth, her leg twisted awkwardly, held in the wolf's jaws. She was just that unlucky it seemed. Floundering on the edge of the stream, mud smearing her face and hands, her free foot flailed, trying to kick the wolf in the face so that it would release her. Hot blood poured down her leg and she looked up with hopeful eyes as Kristoff took a running jump to ford the water, only to note with concern the pained grimace on his face. When he landed, there was a flurry of snarls at her feet, and something shoved her off the bank into the swiftly moving mountain fed waters. Gasping and trying to kick her legs free of her tangling skirts, Seras breached the surface to greedily gulp in air and reach for the rock coming at her. The stream wasn't terribly deep, or wide, but it was fast enough that she couldn't get her feet under her. The waters turned her around and her back slammed into the stone, knocking what little breath she had from her lungs. Before she could get swept further downstream, a gloved hand fisted itself in the sodden material of her dress and hoisted her out of the water. She resembled a downed rat, sputtering and gasping for the air she so desperately needed.

"More trouble than you're worth." Her Lord growled as he secured her to his side – and she dimly noted the skin above his glove looked red and painful – before leaping back to dry land from the rock.

She felt rather dizzy, and her legs wouldn't support her weight when he set her down next to the carriage. In a second her dress was gone, and before she could even gasp, cool material enfolded her; her Master's cloak was dry and warming with her body heat. "It's a good thing you won't catch your death of cold, Little Chick," he growled, half amused, half disgruntled.

She nodded weakly and leaned against him as he sat back on a stump, pulling her down to his lap to inspect the red and oozing wound dug into the back of her calf. The pink tinged water tickled her heel, but the main bleeding had aleady stopped.

"You'll live."

Shivering, she snuggled deeper into his chest, eyelids fluttering shut, only to fly open with shock as the body of the wolf dropped at their feet. She jumped, flinching back, before realizing it was dead.

"Rabid monster," Kristoff grunted, looking at the blood on his hands with a sneer, "but the pelt is decent. Should I skin it, my Lord?"

Alucard nodded, "Fur trade is always popular." He toed the dead wolf's head with his boot, "And the teeth, perhaps the claws."

Kristoff nodded as well, and Seras yawned, feeling marginally warmer. As if the yawn were some sort of secret code the vampire pulled his little servant closer to himself as he stood, carrying her to the carriage and squishing her into the back of the wide seat as he draped himself across the bed like cushion. Her leg slid up ove his to keep from being squished too painfully into the bench. "Sleep, Little Chick."

' _Yes, my Lord.'_

She didn't need telling twice. Her Master took such good care of her, the other vampires in the castle had no clue, but they were scandalized nonetheless. Perhaps that was at least art of his motivation? She was too tired to ponder it further, drugged by proximity to the King, and worn out by her excitement in the water.

* * *

Seras was shaken rudely awake at the break of dawn and she whined lowly in her head as her swollen eyelids pulled back to reveal bloodshot blue eyes. ' _Mmwuh?'_

"Eat this." Her Master demanded as he placed the savory bread to her lips, and she obediently complied. The food felt good in her empty stomach. Her entire body ached as though she had taken a hundred beatings. ' _What's wrong with me?_ '

"The wolf was rabid, it will take time for the infection to burn itself out."

She nodded muzzily and forced herself to continue eating until half of the loaf was down her throat, and gratefully downed a mouthful of sweetened juice. Shivering, she tucked her face against her Lord's chest and drifted back into a fitful fever slumber. She hadn't been sick like this since she was a child living with her parents.

* * *

"…ostpone the luncheon until our return trip."

"Yes m'Lord."

"Give Lady Bethany my regards."

"Of course."

"You are dismissed."

Seras drifted slowly back to consciousness, her head pillowed in a familiar lap as she tuned into the conversation. There was a creak and a slight breeze as the carriage door shut and she heard a murmur of voices before a crack of the reins sent the horses back into motion.

"Awake, Little Chick?"

An affirmative noise drifted into their mental bond, though the delicate blonde did not move. He patted her hair gently before hoisting her upright with a firm hold on her shoulders. The lip of the juice goblet was pressed to her parched mouth and she swallowed greedily, lids still firmly shut. Her Master fed her and held her as her shivering roiled her stomach, making her nausea rise. She refrained from vomiting out of sheer force of will.

Blackness swept back up to consume her as her fever spiked.

* * *

After a lurid dream of distorted faces and places, and a bizarre figure in indecent red shorts with a strange red and black board of sorts who spoke in an unintelligible accent, the thirteen year old woke to the smell of salt heavy in the air. She felt fine, pink as a pistol (what did that mean? The odd man had said it before she woke) and stretched lazily. _Ahh…_

Joints cracking with the delicious strain, the young lady servant yawned and looked up to see her Lord asleep in his seat opposite her. She felt famished! Digging into the pseudo-pantry under her bench she pulled out a hunk of salted cheese and found some dried meat. Chowing down ravenously, she was delighted to spy some bread next to the half empty juice jug. Finished with her repast, she pulled the curtain back and stared in awe at the sight before her; blue, endless blue meeting itself in a sparkle of light. She'd seen her share of rivers and ponds, but never something of this size!

Astounded, she stood at the window, staring at the vastness before her, feeling very small in comparison.

All of the sudden, a wild urge seized her, and she carefully tucked her skirts into her belt as she opened the door a crack and balanced easily on the foot rail. The carriage wasn't moving terribly fast, so it was nothing for her to slide her way along the edge until a startled face appeared around the corner. A large hand reached out and yanked her up into the seat with him before she could fall and Kristoff gave her a somewhat baleful stare, "If you got hurt…"

Seras grinned bashfully, _'Sorry, sorry, but I couldn't help myself.'_ Gesturing to the water at their left, she sighed happily, _'it looks so pretty.'_

"Well," the coachman sighed, giving in, "only until we get closer to town, his Lordship would be displeased if people started to gossip." Seras nodded obediently, and smothered a yawn as she leaned back against the sun warmed wood of the carriage to watch the play of light on the gentle waves. A companionable silence fell between them, neither one wishing to break it, until the dhampire spotted another vehicle coming, and he hoisted the little soon-to-be-Lady up and swung her back inside the carriage. She did not protest.

Feeling a little impish, the blonde curled herself up in her Master's lap with her face nestled into the crook of his neck. She'd get one of her books out in a few minutes, she told herself, and enjoy the ride while waiting for them to arrive in the town Kristioff mentioned. Lulled by his not-quite-warmth, she felt herself drifting into a doze, one of his arms coming up around her waist to secure her as she slumped against him, breathing in the concentrated scent at his neck like a drug.


	4. Chapter 4

_**More Than Meets The Eye**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ Gasp! Two updates! And one for an actual story. The world must be ending, haha.  
But no, I looked at my PMs for once and saw someone ask about this story, and I forgot this one was called this - since my word doc was called something else. So I checked, and I had half a chapter done. So I wrote a bit more for it. It might not be the exact same feel as everything else, but it has been... a long time. I know what I want to have happen, but no promises when the next update will be.  
In case Jubalii or I forgot to ever mention it - Katya and Issak are her OCs, and you all know by now that Nekette is mine.

* * *

 _4: Distorted Images_

"You seem to enjoy using me as your pillow, Little Chick," her Master's voice rumbled pleasantly as she woke drowsily, "perhaps it is my fault?" He mused, absently petting her before pushing her off onto the seat proper, "I have rather encouraged it to get the tongues wagging in the throne room." Gracing her with a toothy smirk, he tweaked a strand of hair next to her ear, "Nevertheless, we are here. We shall be visiting an ally of mine, and from there we shall subvert a ship to our purposes to reach our next destination."

Seras grinned at him, excited, and scrambled to straighten out her skirts as the carriage slowed. He gave her an indulgent look before shaking his head and opening the door to exit himself before reaching back and yanking her down unceremoniously. She almost stumbled, but braced herself and quickly took her proper place at his back as her wide eyes took in the sight of the sprawling courtyard they found themselves in. White marble glowing red in the light of the dying sun, gold accents on the windows and doors, and lovely dome shaped roofs. This place was so pretty! Tucking her hands behind her back so as not to clap them like a child, the eager faced and silent blonde craned her neck to look at everything at once.

A rustling of cloth caught her sharp ears and she turned to watch in admiration the tall brunette Lady in her crimson and blue brocade dress practically float up the walk to greet them, a matching gold edged fan clutched in her hand and fluttering demurely over the lower half of her face; her eyes were a rich crimson, accentuated by the smoky haze of color on her lids, and Seras knew without needing to be told that this Lady was a vampire. "My Lord," she purred, tones rich and seductive, "it's an honor to see you again this century. Please," she gestured with her fan in a half curtsey, motioning he should precede them to the palace, "Issak is waiting in the hall, I'm afraid news of your arrival spread quickly, and there is quite the gathering of our residents and visitors." The Lady did not sound sorry in the least to Seras, but the blonde was not entitled to an opinion, so she kept her face blank and shielded her thoughts tightly.

"Katya," her Master sighed, and Seras flicked her gaze to him in a sidelong glance, curious, "I thought we agreed on a small Family gathering?"

Lady Katya bowed her head in contrition, and fluttered her fan more anxiously, eyes downcast, "I apologise."

The No Life King grunted and lead the way up the grandiose walk to the open double doors, and Seras waited politely for the Lady to walk ahead of her, strictly avoiding that garnet gaze. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Lady Katya's skirts stayed in front of Seras before they swished, twirling in an about face to follow after the Lord gracefully. Seras almost sighed in relief!

As the women followed Lord Draculae, Kristoff clucked his tongue and led the horses off to the stable, grateful for the chance of shelter for the faithful beasts, and to perhaps see one of his distant cousins in the barns.

* * *

Seras was quite charmed to find that Lord Issak and Lady Katya were twins – it wasn't hard to tell when the pair was side by side, and with her ingrained sixth sense, she could practically _taste_ the family relation between them, the way their psychic frequencies registered was also a dead give away; they were nearly identical. Of course the little servant did not presume to broadcast such thoughts or emotions, keeping herself quietly entertained by playing a game of 'Whose Bloodline?' by observing mannerisms, eye colors, and accents. Seras' innocent eyes returned often to the twins, fascinated at their similarities. Lord Mire and Lady Mira were twins as well, and regulars of the Castle, but they looked as different as night and day compared to Lord Issak and Lady Katya.

Her legs were beginning to go numb, so she shifted her weight to settle back on her heels more, wishing she had her usual plethora of pillows at the foot of her Master's throne. The stone floor was cold, and she was hungry.

' _Master?'_ She whispered tentatively, the mental equivalent of tugging at his sleeve gently. He ignored her and she sighed internally, lowering her gaze to stare at her skirts.

"Your little human is quite lovely, Lord Draculae, and so quiet! You must have quite the trainer." A male voice purred from her right, and she froze up, not daring to look at the speaker. Her Master hummed thoughtfully and placed a possessive hand atop her blonde head, "You believe so?" He humored the man, and Seras could only assume it was another Lord.

"She must taste delicious," the words – practically moaned in her ear! - sent a shiver of disgust down the newly turned teen's spine, but she kept a tight reign on her thoughts, not allowing the feeling to broadcast itself beyond the confines of her own mind. She didn't like him.

Cold breath touched her cheek and she fought to stay still, knowing her Master would not share such a thing with another. Oh, sure, he didn't exactly mind her getting a beating, even if it was for some nonexistent slight, but he drew the line at letting another's fangs mark her, for which she was grateful. Well, that and he always saved her before anything could turn fatal. He wasn't about to let seven years of patience be for nothing!

' _ **I can taste your apprehension, Little Chick,'**_ her Master cooed, _**'it's delicious.'**_

Well, she was glad _someone_ was happy with this situation, she grumbled cynically to herself, only to gasp in shock as she was jerked forward by what felt like ropes attached to her arms and legs. "Such a pretty little puppet!" A feminine voice cried in glee, "Did you bring her just for me to play with?"

Seras found herself being danced around, arms sticking out at awkward angles, legs moving jerkily, though the tips of her toes barely brushed the marble floor as she pirouetted. There was a murmur of voices around her and she could hear an angry snarl from the Lord who had been molesting her, but her Master just lounged in his chair, an amused smirk curling his lips.

"She's so tiny!" The voice came again from her back and Seras caught a glimpse of silver as she spun faster, hooks digging into the corners of her mouth to force her to smile. Pale hands glided up her sides and cupped her budding breasts, Seras' cheeks flaming in embarrassment as her jerking limbs came to an abrupt halt and she found herself being pressed into a squishy shape that she highly suspected to be a more developed set of 'chest pillows' as it were. Throaty laughter purred in her ear as cool skin tickled her cheek, "There's room for improvement though, don't you think?"

Seras' face pinched as she realized she was being insulted and her breath hissed through her teeth as she fought to keep a calm exterior, a neutral smile gracing her lips a moment later. _'I'm sorry, m'lady, for not meeting your standards.'_ She cooed in a syrupy mental tone.

The vampiress who had controlled her like a marionette laughed once more and turned the girl in her arms so that Seras could see her face, blue eyes meeting mismatched red-and-blue as the pair of them swung in a circle and the Midian danced them in a pseudo-waltz. "She's feisty! I like her, if you don't keep her, can I have her when you're done?"

More muttering grumbled through the hall at this query and Seras saw the discontent on their audience's faces. Lady Katya broke from the ranks to approach in a bustle of graceful skirts, though she seemed to glide rather than walk as she caught the silver vampiress by the shoulder, halting them both. "That's enough, Nekette." Katya scolded, "You know the King doesn't like to share. Now stop your fooling and act your age for once." There was a motherly sort of exasperation in the brunette's voice that reminded Seras of Lady Aria.

Her captor – Nekette? – sighed in a put upon manner as she caressed Seras' hair before releasing her hold on the teen, who, to her credit only took a single step back from the pair of nobles, unwilling to appear afraid by retreating too hastily.

Nekette - dressed rather scandalously in what looked like a man's shirt that fell to her knees – gave Lady Katya a frustrated look and shake of the head. "You want me to act like an old maid? How boring. You represent us well enough, don't you think?" Without waiting for another word, Nekette grabbed Seras' hand and marched her through the hall, calling over her shoulder impishly; " _someone_ needs to feed the dear thing so she fills out."

* * *

Seras nibbled quite happily on a large drumstick of some bird she did not quite recognize by taste. Nekette sat across from her in one of the prettiest sitting rooms the teen had ever seen, watching raptly. "I remember enjoying fish. Do you like fish?"

' _Oh, yes! Cook makes a lovely trout tart.'_ Seras replied without pausing in her feast. One advantage of being mute, she supposed, as she diligently worked the delicious skin off the leg of seasoned meat.

"Here," Nekette proffered a goblet full of dark red juice, "pomegranate is one of my favorites."

Seras obediently set the half eaten leg down on the plate with the remains of her salad, wiping her fingers delicately on the napkin in her lap before accepting the tart drink gratefully. The silver haired creature appeared to be fascinated with feeding her, something to which Seras had no objections whatsoever. She loved trying new food, and took every opportunity presented to her. After all, when one knew their lifespan was limited, one tended to take advantage of such situations. A thought drifted through her mind that perhaps she'd miss these foods more fiercely when the inevitable occurred, but Lady Aria had encouraged her, so that she would not regret having missed out on them later.

"So…" Nekette drawled, dangling the pale blue silk ribbon that had covered Seras' neck in front of the blonde's face, "not just a pretty face?" Cool fingers traced the fang marks, and Seras shivered in response. _'May I have it back please?'_ Seras queried, holding out her hand palm up as she set the goblet down on the table next to her plate.

"Oh, but it's such a shame to hide your pretty neck," Nekette cooed, unrepentant. After a moment, the girl got to her feet to slide the ribbon through Seras' hair, pulling more of it away from her thoat. "There! That's better."

"Nekette!" Lady Katya snapped from the doorway, "Can you not at least _pretend_ to remember the ettiquete lessons I've beat into your thick skull? _Honestly!_ One would think you newly fledged, not nearly a century my senior."

Seras hid her smile behind her hand, only mildly surprised that the argent creature was not in fact Lady Katya's childe. Observing them more carefully, her brow crinkled, recognition sparking along her tingling nerves. How had she not realized sooner? These were her Master's childe! She had heard hearsay about them, but very little was openly discussed about the King's progeny.

"Oh please," Nekette scoffed, "calling myself a Lady? Boring! Kitty, you and Izzy like the politics, I can't stand them. Besides…" Nekette turned to hug Seras, resting her chin on the surprised blonde's head, "one of us should show her the fun side of what's to come, don't you agree?"

A familiar chuckle rumbled through the small space as her Master closed the door with a thud, Lord Issak at his side. "No one could ever accuse you of _not_ having fun, Nekette. Katya, let it be, she knows how to act when the need arises, that is all I ask."

Clearly, he had heard far too many complaints about the perhaps slightly insane being holding Seras, and didn't wish to mediate further arguments.

"Yes m'lord." Lady Katya sighed, casting her gaze down demurely as she moved to the far side of the table to stand by her seat, next to her brother, where a third chair waited empty.

"Let go," it was a mix between a command and a suggestion, an amused curl to his lips, but Kette rather hastily released the King's blood bond to join her siblings in the last chair.

Alucard dragged Seras into his lap as he reclaimed her seat, right hand trailing up from her hip to finger the exposed marks on her flesh before resuming its possessive claim on her waist.

"There, isn't this nice? Some Family time." Lord Draculae's words rumbled along her spine as Seras reached for her goblet of juice. He sounded quite content, she noted with a pleased smile, licking her lips free of the dark red residue.

"Now that we have a moment to ourselves, tell me, what has occurred since my last visit?"

"Well!" Nekette piped up, mischief lighting her eyes, "I did…"

 _-linebreak-linebreak-_

Seras smothered a yawn as she walked with her Master down towards the beach, after much wheedling and cajoling, she had convinced him to take her to the water's edge before she retired for the morning. Her formal dress was traded for her comfortable sleeping shift, which reached to just above her knees. A truly scandalous thing to be seen out in public wearing, but this was a section of the beach just beyond the palace and Seas could care less what strangers thought about her having fun.

' _Have you ever seen a mermaid?'_ Seras chirped with a bounce in her step, enjoying the cool salty breeze rolling up the sand with the waves. She loved reading sea faring stories! _'Or fought with pirates? Is it true they use parrots? Do they all have peg legs and eye patches? That sounds uncomfortable!'_

"You remind me of Nekette with your chatter," he chortled, ruffling her hair. "In order; yes, yes, no, and no. Though missing hands and feet are not uncommon in a crew of pirates." There was a vicious twist to his lips, that suggested he had torn his share of limbs off in such confrontations.

Seras squeaked in surprise when a piece of kelp wrapped around her ankle in the abrupt crash of a small wave, the chill surprising her as much as the uncomfortable feeling of the strand looping around her skin. Kicking it free, she froze when she heard the spray of water hit fabric. Peeking over her shoulder, she bit her lip to hide her mirth as she observed the damp spot on her Master's shirt. _'Oops.'_

Taking a step back further into the embrace of the chilly water, she turned to face him with wide eyes, an innocent expression on her face as she waited.

"Don't even think about it," he warned, eyes narrowing as he observed her toes digging into the wet sand for better purchase.

' _What?'_ Seras tilted her head, eyes widening even further as her knees loosened, bending the slightest bit. _'I'm just enjoying the water, Master.'_

He opened his mouth to reprimand her just as a wave swept up against her calves, and without giving herself time to second guess her impish decision, Seras bent and flung an armful of spray up at the vampire, mental laughter peeling like a bell as he flicked his wrist as the droplets parted on either side. _'Got you!'_

Lip curling, he took a menacing step forward, the foamy water retreating in a choppy circle around his booted feet. "Seras…"

Choosing to ignore his warning, she spun with her foot out to send up some spray and leapt noisily into the next wave, arms flailing to make a nuisance of herself, laughing and sputtering as the salty brine trickled into her mouth. She was completely soaked to the bone, a bit of sea grass dangling from her hair as she jumped with the second wave, only to find her feet no longer touched the sand.

Floundering, the third wave crashed like a fist into her head, sending her spinning backwards, face first into the grit. The sand didn't feel quiote so soft when it was rubbing against her face and getting into her mouth as she fought to get her hands and feet in the right position to push back up to the surface.

A familiar hand scruffed her sodden collar, hauling her up above the thin layer of water to cough and spit.

"This seems familiar," he sneered, "I'm half surprised you weren't bitten or poisoned just to inconvenience me."

Snorting salt water from her nostrils, Seras danged like a half drowned puppy at his side as he turned and trudged up the beach. Meekly, she pushed the hair from her face, grimacing at the rasp of it on her sore was a truly vile thing when wet, she discovered as it clung and chafed at her skin.

"I should leave you like this," Alucard growled, clearly not amused, "but you reek. Take a bath, Little Chick, we leave at sunset."

Thoroughly chastised, Seras fled to the relative safety of the servants' bath. It had been fun while it lasted.


End file.
